Unity of Lightning and Darkness
by Nabe Gamma
Summary: (AU) Having been abandoned at a very young age, Satoru has struggled ever since to find a purpose and place in life. So when Yggdrasil, a popular MMORPG, announced it's intention to implement virtual reality, the young boy immediately saw it as a second chance. But what if fantasy and reality were to intertwine...only this time with someone at his side? (NarberalXAinz Pairing)
1. Chapter 1 - A New Beginning

**Chapter 1: A New Beginning**

* * *

 **Hi there everyone, how are you all doing? Thanks for paying my first story a visit, really appreciate you being here ^^**

 **With all that said and done, let me bother you no further !**

 **Enjoy :3**

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Overlord as all original work credits go to it's author.

* * *

 **498/500**

"Just a couple more to go guys!" Tabula yelled right after launching a myriad of spells at a nearby foe.

 **499/500**

"Only one more to go! All yours Satoru!" Nishrenkai said before kicking and launching a neaby foe in his general direction.

"Boom."

 **500/500 completed. Congratulations Ainz Own Goal on the successful completion of the limited time event! Rewards will be distributed to the mailbox of every member present. Thanks again for you participation.**

"Too easy guys."

"GG."

"That was a good warm up for tomorrow!"

"Still can't believe that its finally here tomorrow!"

"Me too!"

Satoru was just as excited as everyone else within the guild, after all, Yggdrasil was finally going to implement a brand feature!

"Errr...Satoru? Hate to sound like your dad or anything, but don't you have school later?" Touch me said almost comically bombing the entire atmosphere, instantly shifting the young boy into the spotlights.

"Ohhh it's past 9 pm, we had better let Satoru catch up on some beauty sleep." Punitto mentioned with a grin.

Satoru threw his bedside clock a quick glance before facepalming...

It read 3am.

'School might be a bit tiring today...'

* * *

"..u"

Something felt off.

"...ru."

Yes, his bed felt incredibly hard. Needless to say, his pillow wasn't much better.

"...toru."

Perhaps he had fallen off in the middle of the night because this was anything but comfortable.

"SATORU!"

"Whaoooo!"

Momentarily startled by the violent outburst from an unknown source, the young man of 18 years, leapt up wondering just how his alarm managed to learn of it's owner's name. Eliciting the the last signs of fatigue in the form of a long yawn, the black-haired performed a couple of side stretches before scanning his environment. Rather than recieving the usual ambient sensation his personal quarters provided, a rather disgruntled figure that resembled his teacher greatly, stood cross-armed in front.

Was he in the middle of class?

At this point, Satoru was desperately searching for obvious signs to disprove this hypothesis. Yet when one took into account the neat arrangement of desks coupled with the smirks adorned on every other student present, it was certainly difficult to formulate any kind of counter argument. A large message written on the blackboard with chalk served as the final nail in the coffin.

 **Afternoon English Session**

"Errrr..Urghhh...I can explain this!"

"Ohhh you can?"

"Well I errr...was busy...doing my homework last night and didn't get around to sleeping."

"Let me guess, a dog ate it on the way? Is that why you failed to submit it despite skipping rest?"

"Exactly!"

"Come to my office after school."

"But..."

"Satoru!"

"Sorry."

This wasn't anything out of the ordinary. In fact, if one were to draw a conclusion based on the amount of time Satoru spent visiting the teacher's office, suggesting he lived there wouldnt be too much of a stretch. The principle being able to recognise him despite never teaching a class was more than enough proof.

Breathing out a small sigh, the black-haired once again occupied his seat, this time putting in a little extra effort to keep both eyes open.

There had been a small shred of truth during his earlier scuffle with the teacher. To be more specific, the part where he had pulled an all-nighter. As for his homework? Let's not dwell on the past.

'Seriously, who could resist staying up after months of waiting for the game's newest patch release?'

Having purchased the complete DLC bundle, there was no chance Satoru was going to simply sleep and wait to try it out tomorrow. What was initially planned as a small test run eventually spiralled into a full blown addiction. Before he knew it, the clock had worked it's way towards school time.

'But damm it was fun, can't wait to hop back once school is over!'

End of school arrived in the blink of an eye and Satoru found himself in front of the teacher's office...again. The last shred of anxiety he felt had long since faded from his repeated visits here, hence the small breath he took before giving the door a few solid knocks could be more accurately described as annoyance more than anything else.

"Afternoon Miss Shizuku, I'm here."

"Come in."

The young boy slid the door open before making his way over in practiced strides, eager to head home after as soon as possible. The older woman he faced had other ideas however, having yet to offer him a single glance since his entrance, evidently preoccupied with a stack of colossal paperwork. It wasn't until she makred the last of them, did she finally turn around to address the only other occupant within the room.

"Satoru-kun..." she began with an audible sigh, clearly at a loss for words. "I think we both know why you're here. Surely, I'm not the only one getting tired of this routine right?"

"No Sensei, I am too." The young boy replied without a second thought.

"This school life you're leading..." she paused to glance at his test scores before continuing, "Is frankly appaling and everyday you spend without change is another step towards repeating a grade at school. Do you understand Satoru?"

"Mhmm hmm." The half-hearted response coupled with a casual small shrug was all he could muster.

"Listen to me Satoru. I'm saying this not as your teacher, but someone who has been through a fair share of life expreiences. Now is the best time in life to dedicate your time developing and honing new skills, you're in your prime after all. Whether that be sports, academics, art etc, find that one thing that will propell you onwards."

"..."

His homeroom teacher leaned forward in her chair, taking the silence as a sign of his absolute attention. "I know what happened in the past, but you can't just dwell on it forever. It's time to face reality. What would your parents think if they..."

"What would they think?" The young man snapped at the only topic that ever caught his attention before continuing in an even louder voice. "What would they think?!"

"Satoru..."

"If they really did care, I wouldn't be alone now."

* * *

The walk home from school was always something that Satoru found oddly relaxing and soothing, as though the cool evening breeze could somehow blow away his day's worries. It wasn't particularly adventurous per say but the setting sun sent rays that reflected beautifully across the roadside river, painting a picture that even the most experienced artists would have trouble replicating.

If only he had someone to share this view with.

Out here, he felt free. There was no homework to worry about, no teachers to scold your mistakes. Heck, he didnt even have to bother putting on a facade in front of others.

Having to generate excuses whenever an invitation was thrown his way by classmates for any form of gathering has frankly...grown tiring.

See most would automatically label Satoru as an socially awkward individual. After all, why else wouldn't a healthy 18 year old student hang on with his friends whenever the opportunity arose right?

Well, they would be partially right.

The real reason however, was his current financial situation. Having been abandoned before he was old enough to remember, Satoru grew up under the care of his many relatives. Each of them, taking him under their wing for a year or two before the next took over. They had treated him with care and given him their fair share of attention...but deep down, he knew that he was being a hindrance. Beneath their friendly facade, Satoru could tell more and more clearly that he would never truly be a part of any family.

Eventually he became painfully aware that moving out was the only option, to try to survive on his own even if that mean't living on a tight budget.

That had been a couple of years ago.

It had been rough for the young man, having to dedicate every yen he had towards basic living expenses, often skipping meals for several days in a row. Naturally this mean't that he had nothing to spare for any unnecessary actitivites such as going to the movies or eating out, which essentially created an invisible barrier between him and his fellow classmates.

But at the very least, he could actually relax around his apartment without constantly feeling out of place.

In order to fill the void in his social life, Satoru had resorted to playing online games. Having heard and read multiple positive reviews for one particular free mmorpg, the black-haired decided to give it a shot.

Yggdrasil, boy was he glad he tried it.

For the past 2 years, he had spent numerous hours developing, training and enhancing his character. If he couldn't shine in real life, why not shine via his online persona?

And that he did.

It was by no means an easy feat, and looking back on all he had achieved since the beginning, Satoru had no choice but to call his character an absolute masterpiece. Not only were they visually appealing and trained to the maximum level, but they also boasted incredible stats in every single aspect, with a particular emphasis towards magic, learning and memorising up to 718 different spells. To add the cherry on, his character also adorned what most would deem as end-game gear, items which took him the better half of this year to grind materials for. Fortunately, his efforts had not gone unnoticed, for his character had earned itself a place amongst the strongest, widely recognised throughout Yggdrasil community as one the most popular players. Satoru, to this day, still never quite understood exact reason behind his insane popularity though, because he never really interacted with anyone outside of the guild. And yet, there was supposedly some group that basically worshipped his character.

"Now that I think about it, the developers of Yggdrasil never got around to explaining..."

Yet his stomach had other ideas, growling in hunger as it disturbed the otherwise ambient atmosphere.

"Welp...best to head home then." Patting down himself, Satoru took one last breath of fresh air before commencing the last of his journey back.

Little did he know...that the small thought his stomach interrupted...would come back to haunt him later in the night.

* * *

"Suzuki Satoru."

"Yes mister Lee?"

"Where is your rent?" The owner of this rundown apartment building was a large burly man with a fully tattooed right arm, the sort that police would arrest first if spotted at a crime scene. Narturally, Satoru did his best to stay out of his way but it wasn't exactly the most easy thing to do when you lived right next door.

"Well all I have right now is 800 yen here but I actually need that to buy food for the next few days and..." The young boy began, fishing into his pockets for all his spare change.

"I'll just take that now."

And that was that.

Every last yen from Satoru's open palm had disappeared behind a large green door that slammed in his face.

"Well, I still have some food at home. Just need to ration things out a bit!" Satoru did his best to deter any negative thoughts.

After all, today was a big day for all Yggdrasil players and if what the developers said were true...Satoru should have a parcel waiting for him right on the other side of his apartment door.

"There's no place like home..." The young man mumbled before inserting his apartment key into the lock and giving it a unsuccessful twist. "...when you can actually get into it that is."

Turning around briefly to confirm that loud music was being played in the owner's apartment, Satoru took a couple of steps back before giving himself a mental prep talk.

'Look Satoru, I've hunted dragons and raided guilds in Yggdrasil with ease on a daily basis. Theres absolutely no reason why I can't knock open a stuck door in real life. I totally got this!'

Taking a few breaths in preparation, the young man quickly dashed forward ramming his right shoulder against the hard wooden surface, successfully opening the only barricade that obstructed his humble abroad.

Except it came at a minor cost.

'SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII...SUGARPLUMS!' Satoru internally screamed whilst giving his aching shoulder a rub, hoping to ease off as much of the flaming pain as possible.

After jumping around like a mad man for several minutes, he finally settled down enough to refocus his tear-blurred vision, allowing him to finally locate the object that he had been looking forward to receiving all day.

A card was attached to the top of the parcel. Peeling off the tape, Satoru quickly opened it up, a big smile slowly forming as his eyes scanned the message within.

 **To Suzuki Satoru,**

 **Thank you very much for accepting our Beta team invitation! As you will have already known, the top 20% of players within Yggdrasil were offered a unique opportunity to be a part of the game's first virtual reality dive! Finally players will be able to experience first hand, all the adventures that their characters have been undertaking in way that replicates if not surpasses reality.**

 **Take over your character and see the world of Yggdrasil through their eyes!**

 **If at any point during the event, do you feel the need to ask questions, simply talk to one of our many GMs present and they will provide you with adequate answers.**

 **We look forward to seeing you at 9pm tonight when the servers go live.**

 **From The development team.**

"Hahaha, yes!" The young man couldn't help but give off an excited laugh before quickly tearing the box open, revealing a helmet like device within.

Thanks to the manuals that the Yggdrasil team had sent him a couple of weeks back when he accepted the Beta, Satoru knew exactly how to operate the machine. After plugging the cords into the appropriate computer ports, he triple checked to see that every step of the procedure had been completed before throwing his bedside clock a glance.

It read 8:55pm.

"I still got 5 minutes to spare, lets see if everyone else from the guild is ready to go."

Every member of Ainz Own Goal had agreed to show up tonight for the big event. In fact, they had all been equally if not more excited than Satoru, which actually says a whole lot considering his unhealthy obsession to the game.

Opening the Yggdrasil gaming client, the black-haired boy double clicked the guild communication tab and surely enough, he was immediately bombared with messages from every other member.

 **"Hey its Satoru!"**

 **"Satoru! :O"**

 **"Satoru!"**

 **"Yayyy!"**

 **"Heyyyy Satoru!"**

 **"Woot, you finally made it!"**

 **"Finally the team has assembled!"**

 **"IKR?! Full house!"**

 **"Phew, thought you weren't coming for a second! D:"**

 **"Me too, was so worried we would miss our star player!"**

Satoru couldn't help but smile at the how welcome his guild always made him feel, even if it was all online. Deciding to join in on the fun, he replied jokingly to the latest message.

 **"But of course, the hero is always the last to arrive ~~ :P"**

 **"Snapp!"**

 **"Ohhhhh step back!"**

 **"Lol Satoru."**

 **"Hahaha."**

 **"As expected from one of the most popular players around!"**

 **"Just joking haha, and I'm not popular." Satoru grinned as he offered the standard response.**

 **"Dude, we get random players asking us about you all the time."**

 **"That is legit so true, half the private messages I get are fanboys and fangirls of Satoru."**

 **"Well, the only reason why they are interested in me is because..."**

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

A message quickly flashed across Satoru's laptop screen.

-The virtual reality beta event will be commencing in 20 seconds, please ensure that you are comfortably seated with your dive helmet securely fastened on by then-

 **"Ohhh it's about to start guys!"**

 **"See you all on the other side!"**

Satoru quickly scrambled across the room, pulling his large recliner chair closer to his laptop so as to not stretch the helmet's cords too far. Just as he was brushing all the scrap A4 paper from his seat, Satoru felt a sharp sting radiating from his thumb.

'Nuts! Won't have any time to get a bandaid for this paper cup.'

With only 5 seconds left on the clock, the black-haired quickly adjusted himself comfortably in his seat before leaning back, waiting eagerly to enter the virtual world of Yggdrasil for the first time.

 **5...**

"Steady my breathing..."

 **4...**

The young boy took slow and deep breaths.

 **3...**

He could feel the palms of his hands beginning to sweat.

 **2...**

Tightening the grip of his right hand, Satoru could feel the determination and excitement boil within him.

 **1...**

"Hahah, this actually feels just like my first time logging into Yggdrasil...equally as nervous!"

 **0...**

At that precise moment, Yggdrasil disappeared from his list of games...In fact, his entire helmet seemed to have powered down.

"Huh?"

Just as he was about to get up however, his vision was blinded by a glowing white light that seemed to erupt from within the helmet. Before he even had time to question it, his surroundings seemingly burst into a million specks of light before gathering at his feet. Forming into intricate circular design, the mysterious aura surrounded before engulfing him completely.

* * *

"Urghhhh..."

The young man found himself mumbling almost incoherently before gently opening his eyelids. Blinking several times, his vision took a few seconds to completely focus and adjust to the new lighting. While it wasn't particularly dark per say, his room was a lot more brighter in comparison, therefore giving Satoru the first clue that his location has since changed. Glancing directly ahead, Satoru took several moments to realise that he was actually lying with his back on the ground, the view he currently saw being a ceiling made solely from rectangular stone blocks.

"So where is everyone?" The young boy questioned out loud to no one in particular after failing to hear any voices nearby. "Perhaps I took the longest to recover from the dive? No matter I can just check via in game."

Like with the helmet setup instructions which Yggdrasil set to him via email, the developers also gave him a copy of the commands a player could use in game to access menus like their friend's list.

"So if I'm not mistaken, you're supposed to swipe in a downwards motion to open up the general menu." With his back still on the floor, Satoru performed said action with his right hand.

But nothing happened.

Again and again he tried but to no avail.

"Ok, I must have misread the instructions somehow. No need to panic, I just needa find a GM."

Satoru proceeded to push himself off the ground and into a standing position before giving his shoulder a good rub.

"Owwww, my shoulder still really hurts from that whole breaking-into-my-own-house incident huh?"

But it was in that precise moment that several pieces of the puzzle fell into place, inciting a level of fear he had never experienced from Yggdrasil before.

Wasn't this virtual reality? If so, why is his shoulder hurting from a injury he received in real life?

Giving his right thumb a quick check, Satoru felt his heart skip a couple of beats.

There was a small trail of blood trickling from the paper cut he had received only moments before his supposed dive.

"I'm not in my characters body...?" Now that he was upright, he could see the wall in front of him was actually one giant mirror.

Reflected back at him was none other than Suzuki Satoru.

This didn't feel real at all, perhaps it was just one big nightmare. How else would you explain how he got here right?

But surprised always came in an army, and this was no different.

"Suzuki-sama?"

Almost jumping at the mysterious voice that broke his trail of thoughts, Satoru slowly turned his head towards the source, only to find himself staring face to face...with his in-game character...the very being he had achieved so much with over the past 2 years...

"Narberal Gamma?"

* * *

 **A/N - Thanks again to you all for reading my very first fanfic, and I hope you enjoyed your stay. I'd also appreciate anything you have to say, so feel free to leave behind anything that comes to mind.**

 **Looking forward to seeing you guys in the next chapter!**

 **~Lynn~**


	2. Chapter 2 - Another World

**Chapter 2: Another World  
**

* * *

 **Happy Halloween everyone! Hope you all have a wonderful day trick or treating :D**

 **I'd like to thank each and everyone of you who took the time to read my first chapter and also those who have stopped by for more! So here I am** **here back with another!**

 **^^ Enjoy**

* * *

"Suzuki-sama?"

Almost jumping at the mysterious voice that broke his trail of thoughts, Satoru slowly turned his head towards the source, only to find himself staring face to face...

...with his in-game character...the very being he had achieved so much with over the past 2 years...

"Narberal Gamma?"

"..."

Less than a couple of meters away, stood an elegant, snow white skinned, black pony tailed beauty. Despite being someone he saw on a daily basis, Satoru couldn't help but stare at her in awe. Sure it was behind a screen, but you'd still think he would have developed some sort of immunity to her captivating appearance. Now that he was face to face, Satoru simply felt his own eye's drawn to her, unable to peel away for even a second.

"Are you really Narberal...?"

"...Yes Suzuki-sama." The slight pause before her response did little to hide her apparent discontent with the current situation, reflecting heavily upon her features.

She was torn about something...that much was clear to even someone as socially awkward as Satoru.

But that wasn't the only thing that fought it's way to the forefront of his mind.

After all, there was a more fundamental problem at hand.

"Narberal," The young man paused, trying desperately to reorder his scattered thoughts, attempting to voice his concern in an articulated way. "What...you...how are you standing before me? Aren't I you...and you are me?"

'Isn't she my in game character?'

'If so, then why was she standing directly in front of me?'

'And why in the world would she know my name?'

'Was she even real?'

His body moved completely on instinct, attempting to carry him closer to the one that currently filled his vision. However, his feet had yet to carry him more than a single step before giving way completely, still too physically drained to perform any movement beyond standing still. As the ground raced to greet him at an alarming speed, Satoru did the only thing he could to brace himself, shut out his vision.

But the sensation he felt was a lot different to the one he had imagined, for it was neither cold or hard like the stones that composed this room. Rather it was soft and warm coupled with a soothing feminine scent.

Opening his eyes, Satoru found himself in Narberal's warm embrace, her eyes wide with worry in complete contrast to her earlier frown.

"Are you ok Suzuki-sama?"

"Definetely been better but I'm good, thanks a lot Narberal." Satoru said with a warm smile.

Instead of reciprocating his expression, she grabbed his right hand with her own wordlessly. Just as he was about to question her actions however, a faint blue glow began to erupt from her fingers before making its way onto his own.

Immediately, Satoru could feel his fatigue wash away both physically and mentally. In fact, it felt better than usual, as though he just awoken from an extremely adequate rest. Whatever she had done, it was clearly working it's magic...possibly quite literally.

"Thanks fo..."

"You shouldn't be here."

A single word of gratitude was all he could squeeze in before she cut him off.

"What do you mean?"

"There's simply no reason for you to be here, this place is only for..."

A sudden bright light burst forth from beneath Satoru's feet, slowly forming the intricate design of a magic circle, much like the one he saw seconds before he arrived here. Obviously he lacked the knowledge to derive any concrete conclusion about it, but if he had to take a stab in the dark, Satoru would be more than willing to put his money on teleportation. Sure it wasn't the most scientifically valid reason, but when one took into account everything that had happened since the "virtual dive", all of a sudden...the idea didn't seem so far fetched.

How else would you explain how he got here?

Anyway, the point is a change of scenery was more than likely to occur within the next few seconds. Unfortunately the poorly timed event caused Narberal to cut her explanation short. What's more, Satoru realized that was the only one standing within the magic circle.

"Narberal come here!" He yelled, frantically waving her over.

But the pony-tailed beauty remained in her spot, offering him a small smile in return.

"Time is short so please listen to me carefully Suzuki-sama," A look of hesitation hung on her face for a split second before being replaced by pure determination, "when the time comes for you to choose between leaving or staying within this place...I beg of you to choose the former option."

"What about you? Why aren't you coming with me?" He questioned, already feeling his feet leave the ground and the room beginning to fade.

Diverting her gaze, Narberal could no longer bear to watch him leave through her blurred watery vision. Instead clenching her robe tightly with her right hand before uttering a whisper so soft it fell on deaf ears.

"Goodbye Suzuki-sama."

* * *

Floating in zero gravity without any footholds or sense of direction...such was the sensation of teleportation. At least that was how Satoru felt during both occasions.

Naturally he had no idea who or what was responsible for whisking him through space twice, and whether it felt any different for the original caster. Although he had a small feeling that his curiosity would soon be sated, or the first part of it to be exact.

'1...2...3...4...5...6'

Unlike the first time, the young boy has a much clearer conscience now, most likely thanks to Narberal's help. That in turn prevented the nausea he had experienced earlier, allowing his unhindered mind to make sense of the time he had at hand.

'So the spell takes roughly 6 seconds to fully cast, by the end of which, i can clearly feel my feet against ground.' There was no way of telling what he should and shouldn't commit to memory, but making even the most irrelevant observation helped to ease his tension in an otherwise unfamiliar environment.

"Urghhh..." A unfamiliar voice resounded in the hall.

"Is anyone there?" Another occupant questioned almost timidly.

"Yes but where are we?"

"What's going to happen to us?"

"Someone help me!"

The young boy had of course, opted not to speak out loud, instead listening to what everyone else had to say. It didn't take a genius to figure out he was no longer alone, and while Satoru was normally a firm advocate of the whole security in numbers mindset, he wasn't so sure if it was really applicable right now.

The nervous whispers produced by the clearly unsettled crowd continued to grow in volume, inciting a new level of fear within the young boy's stomach, eventually dragging him into the gloomy atmosphere's depths.

His heart began to race and his hands began to shake uncontrollably.

 _'Its ok Suzuki-sama, everything will be fine.'_

A gentle voice erupted throughout his mind, one he had only heard once before yet still imprinted itself deeply in his mind, giving him the mental strength to once again quell his fears.

'Thanks Narberal.'

Of course there was no way of knowing if her voice had been real or a figment of his imagination. Judging from the voices of those around him however, none a single soul had heard Narberal. Therefore Satoru had to conclude that it was probably his own mind's doing. Regardless, the illusion had served it's purpose as Satoru once again returned his attention to the situation at hand.

'Let's access this as calmly as possible.' Satoru thought before looking around in every direction. However with the room being completely pitch black, the only real sense he could actively work with was his sense of sound. Of course one could be a smarty pants and mention the smell of fear too, but that wasn't going to get him anywhere.

From this alone, Satoru was able to quickly surmise a couple of facts. First of all, judging from all the anxious chatter surrounding him, he was able to estimate the room contained quite the number of people.

'30...no perhaps even 50.'

It was almost surprising how loud it was now that his sense of fear no longer clouded his judgement, as though he was standing in the middle of a busy marketplace, except worse.

Additionally, this...place they're in is by no means small, something you could tell from the way noise echoed around the area, further amplifying the already loud environment. Satoru could only assume that everyone else here was bought via the same method he was, which mean't that whoever teleported them had already predicted this large volume of people.

As the minutes slowly ticked by, Satoru's eyes began adjusting to the dark, now able to picture faint silhouettes of those around him. With his sight and hearing working together in unison, the young boy was able to pick up one very odd detail. Unlike the rest of the scattered people, there was a small group standing a little ways off, positioned in a very coordinated formation with 1 in front and 2 behind him. Furthermore, Satoru was almost certain that not a single member there spoke a word, nothing but silence radiating from that direction.

'Could they possibly be...' Wanting to confirm his suspicions, he squinted his eyes in the general direction almost out of instinct in hopes of getting a clearer image. Just as he did so however, light rained from the ceiling, bathing the entire bunch in a blinding fashion.

It was only for an instant, but Satoru briefly made eye contact with all 3 individuals before shielding his eyes. He did however, miss the small grin that surfaced on their faces as they saw not just Satoru but several others looking in their direction amongst the crowd.

Having given them all sufficient time to recover from their daze, the three men, all clad in what looks to be army uniform, began walking closer to them. As they did so, Satoru could see the man in the middle muttering something quietly to his right.

"What group is this?"

"Group 1F sir."

"Very well, let us proceed as per usual."

"With all due respect," The youngest and last of the trio, a blonde-haired man who appeared to be in his twenties, began in a tone that was calm yet tinged ever so slightly in irritation, "An individual of your caliber should be addressing the more gifted bunch rather than wasting time on unwanted leftovers..."

"What exactly are you trying to say?" By now, the 3 men had stopped in their tracks, obviously having reached a difference in opinion.

"Kawakami-sama, you know just as much as I do that this a complete waste of time. No one here has the skill or guts to do it, time has proven that again and again."

"Tachibana-kun, have you ever heard of the phrase A diamond in the rough?"

"Yes, but..."

"Enough! Now get ready."

Of course, no one from the crowd had heard their heated conversation, their mumbling far too quiet and their mouthing too subtle to read.

Just like with everything else that had occurred tonight, Satoru had not a single inkling as to what was going on. Rather than making wild predictions and assumptions, it was probably best to save whatever brainpower he had left for when it really mattered. Besides, from the looks of things, they were about to get an explanation.

"Greetings to all of you present!" Pausing to lock gazes with each member present, the muscular man continued with a voice that conveyed immeasurable confidence and power. "My name is Chouji Kawakami and I'm responsible for overseeing this event as head commander. It is my honor to welcome each and everyone of you to Yggdrasil's beta test. As i'm sure most of you are aware, only those of you within the top 20% were invited to participate, an achievement that I have no doubt you would all be proud of, having made numerous sacrifices with time and money being just a couple of many. Therefore in light of your efforts, we thought that it was only fair to present you all with a rather unique opportunity...in person that is. Now before we move on, is there any questions?"

There were certainly quite a lot floating around Satoru's mind, so much so that he didn't even know where to begin from.

Where is this place?

Where is Narberal?

Why was I not in my in-game character?

Is this a dream?

The list went on and on, and somehow, he knew everyone else felt the same. All curious, but too afraid to ask. Perhaps these raw emotions had reflected off one too many of their faces, for the older man decided to alleviate their worries if only a little.

"I know that most here are skeptical about this whole situation, and trust me, I would be too had the roles been inverted. While it would certainly be best to shed light on the entire situation, such a task would take far too long for our circumstances...are rather special. To put it simply, this place..." Waving both arms around to further amplify his point, Kawakami continued seriously. "...isn't planet Earth. However! I will guarantee you will given the choice to return tomorrow should that be your desire, along with compensation for your time. That I swear on my life. Needless to say, you may also choose to stay and for what reason? Well, you all possess skills which we would like to help you nurture and develop. Skills which you can use to start over anew"

"Potential?" Something about that particular word struck a chord in Satoru, causing him to instinctively pay extra attention. After all, it was precisely because Satoru wanted to escape reality did he even start playing Yggdrasil in the first place. Unfortunately, amidst all his excitement, the young boy found himself exclaiming his interest a bit too loudly, successfully throwing himself into the spotlight. "Sorry for interrupting, don't mind me."

"There is absolutely no need to apologize." With a look that seem to bore into his soul, the muscular man proceeded with the interaction much to the black-hair's dismay. "If you don't mind me asking, what is your name young one?"

"S-S-Satoru." He had never been socially strong, and his current stuttering was as clear an indication as it gets.

"First of all, let me applaud your courage for speaking out loud. Definitely not easy given the situation, and I urge the rest to learn from Satoru-kun. Rather than waiting for information to be handed out, don't be afraid to seek them for yourself. Secondly, to answer your question in as blunt a fashion as possible, all of you present in this hall possess one unique trait, a trait that sets you apart from the rest of humankind. That trait...is magic."

Various murmurs broke out from the crowd, everyone eager to give their two cents on the matter. Naturally the crowd's opinion was diverted, with the more skeptical of the bunch throwing suspicious glances around, while the others wore expressions that reflected both fear and excitement. And patience Chouji gave, as he let the natural chatter take over those he currently faced, allowing for several long minutes to pass before interjecting once again.

"As I have mentioned just now, each and everyone on of you present has the innate ability to use magic, although to what level I cannot say for certain. It is precisely because of this fact however, that we are offering you all a chance to nurture and develop this skill with our help. Again, I must stress the fact that this process is completely voluntary, and you have all the way up until tomorrow to make your decision."

Despite the level of authority that Kawakami exuded, doubt was still evident amongst the crowd. Therefore the older man decided to bring out the ace up his sleeve.

"There is something I would like to show you all." Having said that, he grabbed what looked to be an ordinary piece of paper from inside his jacket pocket before holding it up for the crowd to see. "While this here looks to be an ordinary piece of paper, it is in reality, a magic evaluator. It is able to reveal the hidden magical talents of every magic user by simply being in contact with one's unique mana. I'll give you all a demonstration."

Without another word, the man closed his eyes. Just as Satoru began raising an eyebrow in confusion, words began inking itself across Kawakami's paper. The entire process finished within a couple of seconds, and from it, the young boy was only able to capture a single word from that paper given the distance.

Teleportation.

'So Kawakami is the teleporter huh.'

He wasn't going to lie. At this point, Satoru was genuinely curious as to whether or not Kawakami's claim about them possessing magic had even the slightest shred of truth.

'I mean, who wouldn't want to have supernatural powers right?'

Sure, the possibility of all of this being some elaborate prank has yet to be ruled out, but the older man's performance was becoming harder to disprove scientifically.

"Now, how about we let you all have a go at this? Perhaps once you've seen your powers, you might be more inclined to stay and train." With a single snap of his finger, every single occupant within the giant hall was given a single sheet of the mysterious paper.

"Whenever you're all ready, I want you to close your eyes and focus."

'Well no harm in giving it a try right?' Satoru thought before doing just as he was told with many others in the crowd doing exactly the same.

"Picture your mana as a liquid that flows through your veins, very much like your blood except that it is unrestrained by your physical body."

'Ok...weird but ok.'

"Picture it leaking from your fingertips and onto the paper."

'Nghhh...' The young boy mumbled at the surprisingly difficult task given his limited imagination.

"Repeat this step a couple of times before confirming your results."

Being quite the perfectionist at heart, Satoru repeated it 8 times in his head for good measure, wanting to get it right the first time. Once he was satisfied, the young boy gently opened his eyes. Giving himself a couple of blinks to clear his vision, Satoru stared as his paper to find rows and rows of neat writing much to his joy.

However, as he took a closer look, what he read on the print was enough to draw out his recently suppressed fear.

"It can't be..."

* * *

 **A/N - Thank you very much for stopping by my fanfic once again, and I hope you enjoyed your stay!**

 **If you did enjoy it, I'd really appreciate it if you could leave behind even just a short message as it really gives me that positive push forward :D**

 **Looking forward to seeing you all in the next chapter !**

 **-Lynn**

 **Review responses:**

 **L.B.N** \- Thank you for your kind words, hope you enjoyed this chapter.

 **OldWorldVulture** \- Thank you very much for both your kind words and the feedback!

 **Guest** \- Thank you!

 **B563** \- Thank you :D This story will have a completely different story line, hope you enjoyed this chapter!

 **DivineDemon1** \- Thanks for your review, hahah we will see in the future chapters as to what path he takes.

 **0November0** \- Ikr? AinzXNarberal romance! Thank you very much for your kind words!

 **Awareness Bringer** \- I still have a lot of improvement to do as a writer but you are correct in all those points! Thank you very much for your review!


	3. Chapter 3 - Unanswered Questions

**Chapter 3: Unanswered Questions**

 **Heya everyone, good to see you all again! Lynn here, returning with another chapter of my fanfic!**

 **Enjoy ^^**

* * *

The sound of gasps could be heard from all over the room, each individual's impatience reflected in the action alone. It didn't take long for the first squeal to erupt from the mass, followed by another and another. Soon the hall was alight with chatter, people forming smaller groups amongst themselves to congratulate one another, interacting as though they had known each other for years.

Yet, standing amongst the sea of smiles and laughter was Satoru, sticking out like a sore thumb. Don't get him wrong, he still offered the occasional friendly nod to those that wondered past. But in reality, he couldn't quite match the level of enthusiasm lingering in the air.

"Excuse me!" For the second time tonight, the young boy decided to step into the spotlight. Naturally, he felt bad for disrupting the mood, but the thing nagging at his mind wasn't going to stop itself. "Again, sorry for the interruption."

"And again, there is no need to apologize my boy." The man offered a smile before gesturing for him to continue.

"Just moments ago when you guaranteed our safe return to Earth, something about a choice was mentioned. Could you please elaborate on that point sir?"

Even before he could finish, a large grin had already adorned the commander's face, impressed at the young boy's attention to detail. Of all the years he had overseen 1F as head commander, not once had a newcomer willingly brought up the topic, most if not all choosing to just go with the flow. And rightfully so, for who in their right mind would want to estrange themselves deeper into some shady business? Might as well just get the heck out of here while you still could right?

"But of course, I had already intended to make this announcement at the very end anyway. Just to confirm, could I get a show of hand on who has already confirmed their paper's contents and IS satisfied with what they see?"

Thankfully Satoru has conveniently positioned himself at the back of the crowd, providing him with both the opportunity to check everyone's responses as well as avoiding what potentially would have been the third awkward moment. Seeing as he hadn't even begun to come to terms with his own abilities, any attempts to raise his hand could be labelled as BS.

"Seeing as you are now aware of the trade-off, allow me to offer everyone a choice, one you will have until tomorrow morning to decide."

* * *

Following the commander's lengthy and detailed explanation, the group had departed from the large hall via yet another mysterious teleport-like spell. Led by the 3 officers, they ascended multiple floors, taking various twists and turns along the way, a journey which the boy was quite certain he couldn't have made on his own without getting lose. He could only imagine the horrors that these officers had to experience on their first day of work. Not only was it tedious, but also tiring.

But boy was he glad they did.

To put it simply, the difference in quality between where they were now and before was quite literally day and night. For starters, the young boy could actually see clearly where he was going, with the area boasting enough modern day lighting systems to illuminate every nook and cranny. Sure he had played it cool before, managing to peer over his shoulder every 10 seconds, but Satoru wasn't confident he could have kept the cool disposition throughout the entire night.

Furthermore, everything they had done wrong on the lower floors were replaced with grandiose designs and decorations, providing an atmosphere that not only settled their doubts, but also instilled a sense of welcoming.

Satoru felt as though he had stepped out from dracula's residence before entering a billionaire's residence.

Fortunately such luxury was not limited to the common areas for their guest quarters were just as if not more tremendous than the former. If anything, it was a little extreme...sure, a walk-in wardrobe was nice but hardly necessary for someone who more than likely, only planned to stay a single night. The same could be said for every other element within this room, whether it be the insanely large desk, king-sized bed or the vast assortment of hair-conditioners that rivaled the shelves of a supermarket.

It was simply overkill no matter how you looked at it.

Still none of that remotely stirred a second thought, his mind far too preoccupied with an upcoming design, one that potentially...no...definitely would change his life for better or worse. To what degree he wouldn't know until after the fact. Directing his gaze at a nearby desk, the young boy narrowed his eyes on an envelope that housed a certain piece of magic paper, recalling a memory that had transpired recently.

* * *

 **1 Hour Ago**

"Seeing as you are now aware of the trade-off, allow me to offer everyone a choice, one you will have until tomorrow to decide."

Yo didn't need to be a genius to grasp the tension flowing in the air, the commander's authoritative voice more than enough to indicate his seriousness.

"Before we begin thought, let me reiterate that this option is strictly your choice as my guarantee for your safe return to Earth still stands. in fact, most before you have chosen to do so and for good reason too. That means, there is no strings attached should you opt to bail out and leave. Furthermore, we will compensate you with some funds for the time we have taken out of your busy lives. Is that clear?"

"Yes sir!"

"For the sake of adding context, I shall begin by shedding light on the real reason for your invitation tonight for most probably have a misconception on this matter. First off, Yggdrasil is not a game."

Confusion spread from face-to-face amongst the crowd, some adorning an expression that accurately portrayed their disbelief. Satoru had been no different, raising an eyebrow in response. After all, it was like hearing that 1 plus 1 didn't equal 2.

"That's right, Yggdrasil was never designed with the intention of being a game. Under the pretense of a MMO-RPG, it was a convenient and accurate means for us to monitor our players on a fundamental level, allowing us to grasp details we wouldn't normally be able to. Use of abilities, combat knowledge, strategies are just a few of the criterias we based our decision on. Upon close inspection of this data, we were able to compile a list of candidates with the required latent potential, individuals who have the necessary abilities to join our organisation."

That was when it dawned on them...

"Don't tell me we are...?" was the single thought that spread from person to person faster than a rumor in high school. Even without being particular about the details, it was easy enough to link the dots. Although some chose to deny, any chance of denial was ultimately swept away by the commander.

"That's right, standing here in this very room are a small portion of such selected people. Any questions so far?"

Subtly glancing left and right, Satoru confirmed that he wasn't the only one seeking answers, those around him returning equally perplexed looks. At this point, ignorance was no longer bliss. Figuring that he might as well participate in the running for the most questions asked by the same guy in one lecture award, the young boy threw his hand up in the air.

"Yes Satoru-kun, ask away!"

"Thank you sir." Despite having a good idea of the answer, he still decided to phrase his inquiry as broad a fashion as possible, hoping for the commander to elaborate from there. "Regarding the topic at hand, when you called us individuals with the necessary abilities, what exactly did you mean by that?"

"Well to delve into the specifics would take us well past bedtime, so let me tune simplicity up a notch. Everyone present has the potential to wield powers and achieve feats outside the realm of ordinary standards or at least what human beings deem as impossible...in other words...magic."

Not the slightest hint of surprise could be seen, instead a slight twitch was all that occurred on the young boy's otherwise dull complexion for the reply was anticipated.

"Just like in Yggdrasil?"

"Something akin to it, but fundamentally different in more aspects than one. For starters, the exact nature of magical affinity varies from person to person, being something you are born with rather than an option unlike Yggdrasil. Of course, the main body of this story is strictly reserved for interested ears only, but just to present a brief demonstration."

A spiral of mysterious white energy began gathering around the commander, rearranging itself into something Satoru had seen quite a few times already. Then...in the blink of an eye, he was gone.

"So what do you guys think?"

"What!" Every occupant in the hall shifted their gaze 180 degrees with the exception of 2 armored officers at the front.

"How did he get behind us?" A chocked feminine voice could be heard fro the crowd.

"I have no idea..." Another voiced out their confusion.

"Not!"

"Too!"

"Shabby!"

"Right?"

By now the older man had returned to his original position, standing in between both his colleagues, both of whom had remained completely unfazed throughout the entire event.

"Anyone have a clue as to what exactly that was?" Satoru had initially planned to play it off, hoping for the white-hair man to answer his own question. However, the seconds soon turned into several long minutes with only the clock ticking away in the background. By now, it had become increasingly obvious that neither side intended to yield and the thought of spending the night here slowly crept it's way into reality. Letting off a sign of resignation, the young boy decided to offer his own two cents on the matter.

"Would the perhaps be teleportation, sir?"

"Wonderful Satoru-Kun, it is exactly as you say! As i mentioned earlier, although it differs from one to the next, everyone here possesses some form of natural inclination to an affinity. And if you're curious about your own..." Kawakami paused to show everyone the piece of paper from the little activity earlier before continuing. "the answer is literally within you're grasp. Here, we provide everyone with the chance and opportunity to grow, nurture and develop this gift."

"In conclusion, this is the second choice we get?"

"Precisely, choosing to stay here will result in you official signing up as a member of our cause and vice verse. Think carefully, as choosing to stay will cost a bit of freedom that you will otherwise be entitled to in your everyday lives."

"With all due respect sir, there is still something I don't understand."

"Please ask away my boy." Kawakami beckoned him onward with a genuinely friendly smile.

"I'm not quite sure how to phrase it in a way that doesn't make me seem incentive driven, but what possible reason could one have for staying? Don't get me wrong, powers are cool and all, but throwing away our lives ain't an easy choice either."

"All I can say is, here you have the opportunity to make a difference, a chance to use your powers for the greater good. Alternatively, you can choose to think of us as a company offering you all a future job. The exact reason or motivation for staying however? That is something you will have to find out for yourself, and hopefully an answer you can finish searching for before tomorrow morning."

* * *

 **Present**

With that last piece of advice said, the long awaited end had arrived.

Those that wanted supper were later led to the mess hall, while the others were permitted free reign of the enormous facility. Feeling neither hungry nor adventurous, Satoru decided to simply take a shower before resigning to his personal quarters.

'Tomorrow huh?'

At this point, he wasn't sure whether or not he wanted to welcome it or not. Normally, he would have jump straight into bed and called it a night. After all, his evening had been much more tiring than what he normally did...aka playing games. But a part of him was reluctant, as though telling him that he needed to get his facts straight, to make a correct decision in the face of a dramatic crossroad.

One way or another, his mind wasn't going to let him sleep right now.

'Killing time it is then.'

Satoru did a quick visual sweep of his surroundings, still just as fascinated by the interior's size as he was when he first entered. It made him painfully aware of just how small his own apartment was, especially when the walk in wardrobe alone nearly matched it.

What caught his attention more however, was a small 2 layered shelf just adjacent to a small work desk towards the far right of the room. The only thing that could settle his doubts or perhaps exhaust his mental reserves was the intake of knowledge, and no better way to do that besides reading. The titles that stacked against one another were indeed a pleasant surprise to the boy.

"Magical creatures...What is mana?...Yggdrasil project..." The young boy mumbled as his finger glossed over the glossed paperbacks before stumbling on one in particular. "A complete guide on magic affinity."

Sliding the giant book out with both hands, Satoru quickly flipped through the contents, stopping to glance here and there at interesting topics.

"Wow...it even has a list of known magic affinities in here."

Pyrokinesis, telekinesis, teleportation, etc...there was simply too many to quote, providing an accurate explanation towards the book's thickness. But the boy had been set towards finding one in particular, for within his pockets still lay a magic paper.

"I need to confirm...if what I think is true."

But there was simply too many pages and too little energy, a fact made clearly with the yawns that the boy elicited more and more frequently.

"I can just wake up a little early in the morning."

Leaning his entire body onto a surprisingly soft recliner, Satoru muttered quietly as he continued to stare at the bland ceiling above. To be completely honest, he was making absolutely zero progress in his final decision, being inclined to neither side. From the perspective of a normal person, taking the compensation funds and legging it was by far the smarter choice, for they basically knew nothing about this place. Sure, commander Kawakami came off as trustworthy guy, but his words had entailed quite the hint of danger. Their attire was further proof of this and the way they addressed one another only reminded Satoru of how an army operated with the only real difference being the addition of magic.

So why was he hesitating when the scales were tipped so heavily in favor of leaving?

Why did he want to stay even in the absence of a single reason?

Calculating, reasonable, clam, all these were traits Satoru had prided himself on in exchange for his poor social and interpersonal skills.

Always being able to pick the best option no matter the situation...

Of course, he wasn't alone in this opinion for his guildies from Yggdrasil were the ones who first mentioned it, greatly praising him as an essential part of Ainz Own Goal.

Yet on a day in which it mattered the most, these traits all left him, leaving behind a mere indecisive shadow.

"No...I've always been like this." The young boy muttered in between yawns, his eyelids growing progressively heavier with each passing word. "That was all behind a screen...the one that everyone truly respected and relied heavily on...was none other than Narberal Gamma..."

Finally succumbing to the day's accumulated fatigue, Satoru decided to rest right where he sat, his body far too exhausted to crawl into bed.

The last thing he heard before darkness took over was several unnaturally quiet knocks on his door followed by the sound of unsheathing metal.

* * *

 **A/N - And here we are again at the end of another chapter! Thank you very much to each of you who took the time to read this, and I sincerely hope you enjoyed it!**

 **Again feel free to leave behind any message as I'd love to hear what you all have to say!**

 **Welp that's all from me, looking forward to seeing you all again in the next chapter :D**

 **-Lynn**

 **Review Responses:**

 **GhostPyro** \- Haha, the start does seems similar :D Thank you very much for your support! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

 **sonic** \- Thank you ! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

 **B563** \- Thank you for your kind words! I genuinely appreciate your message, and I hope that you enjoyed this chapter! While I won't delving too much into the future plot of the story for spoiler reasons :P , you would be correct in saying that Ainz (Satoru) will be very different from the actual source. For better or worse...we shall see :D But again, thank you for your compliment and looking forward to seeing you in the next chapter.

 **sappy3** \- Thank you for your review! As for the commander, there is a chance he does but there will be more on him in the future chapters !

 **Awareness Bringer** \- Thanks for your review! Hopefully you found this chapter enjoyable too, looking forward to seeing you in the next.

 **0November0** \- Agreed, the relationship between Satoru and Narberal will deepen in the future chapters! As for the powers he has...we shall find out in the future chapters!

 **L.B.N** \- Muwhahahha! Only the author enjoys leaving cliffhangers I think :D Thank you again for your review! Looking forward to seeing you in the next.


	4. Chapter 4 - Silent Protector

**Herrow everyone :3 Again we meet once again in a new chapter!**

 **Thank you very much for taking the time to stop by and hope you enjoy ^^**

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Silent Protector**

"Phew! That's another days worth of work done and dusted!" Kawakami exclaimed in relief before taking a generous swig of tea.

Only a handful of the potential recruits had followed them into the cafeteria, with the rest being either too nervous or too tired for food. Recalling the events that had transpired earlier, the commander let out a small amused laugh, drawing a curious glance from the opposing individual.

"Whats the good news Kawakami-sama?"

"Just thinking about an interesting potential candidate is all."

"Ohhh? So you did go to survey the other groups after all!" The young blonde responded, feeling happy that his earlier advice seemed to have gone through.

"What are you talking about...? I chose to oversee only a single group."

"Then who could you possibly be referring to?"

"Satoru-Kun."

"Uwahdukasnfksjvnksjgs." Unfortunately, Tachibana had been right in the middle of sipping his tea when the unexpected answer struck, causing him to choke mid gulp.

"Hmmmm?" Momentarily thrown off by his colleague's flabbergasted reaction, the older man quickly recovered before handing him a tissue. "The taste not to your liking?"

Offering a small nod of gratitude, the young man tried his best to soak up whatever he could. After all, nearly half the cup had transitioned itself onto his attire.

"By Satoru, you don't mean Suzuki-Satoru from 1F right?"

"Actually I do."

"Seriously?"

"Very much so."

Taking a deep breath to clarify his mind, the blonde began in as calm a voice as he could muster, hoping to convince the older man with reason.

"Now, I don't mean to question your judgement Kawakami-sama, for you are the elder I respect the most, but...are you absolutely certain about this?"

"What makes you think that I'm playing around?"

"Sir, were you not watching the preliminary test?"

"Of course I did...and?"

"I couldn't feel a single trace of mana from that guy let alone an ounce of potential. Even before receiving **it** , all the recruits should have at least demonstrated **that**. Am I wrong?"

"Of course you're right. Not a single person has failed the test in the past. This rule has and will continue to hold true forever. Being an examiner yourself, I'm sure you are more than aware of this fact."

"Naturally sir, which is exactly why I'm so very shocked that he did. Everyone else had it but him when even the weakest of magicians should."

"In other words, you didn't see it?"

"See what?"

"It's hard to describe it using words simply because whatever it was...certainly didn't stay long. There it was one moment yet gone in the blink of an eye..."

"Sir, what you are describing sounds more like an illusion than anything. If that was hypothetically true, then why is he placed in group 1F of all places?"

"Hence the reason behind my growing curiosity, for that is an answer we both seek. In any case, until we get a thorough analysis, I ain't ready to brush him off as ordinary."

"According to your observation, Suzuki-Kun's power seems fairly potent...but why was I not able to feel a thing?"

"I guess you have yet to reach that level of perception then...sorry for my lack of understanding Tachibana-Kun."

"What do you mean?"

"That kid possesses something...special...whether or not that equates to power, I have no clue. For all we know, he could even surpass us...just in a different way."

"But..."

Before he could continue however, a lower-ranked soldier marched his way towards their table before bowing.

"Kawakami-sama! This is an important parcel for your eyes only, enclosed within are details regarding your next mission!"

"...Thanks you may leave!"

"Yes sir!"

Judging from the hour in which said letter was delivered, it was probably of substantial importance. Not to the point where he had to mobilize tonight or anything, but not something he should outright ignore. Either way, it was mandatory for officers of any rank to familiarize themselves with any and all information given to them as soon as possible, and given his current restless situation, he had absolutely no reason not to adhere to this rule. Peering over his shoulders, the grey haired man double-checked to ensure that none would set eyes on potentially sensitive data before tearing up the package, his eyes darting swiftly from left to right as he read the fairly short and concise message.

Naturally, both colleagues had respected his privacy, directing their gazes at the ceiling as though deeply fascinated by it. Due to their close relationship with the commander however, it didn't take long for the pair to realize that something was off. It was weird for Kawakami to study directives to this degree, usually managing to grasp the contents within a moments notice. What's even more troubling was the absence of his carefree expression, replaced instead by a mixture of emotions, all molded together into one small distant smile.

"Sir...?" They both mumbled quietly, hoping to receive some sort of clarification on the matter.

"Welp, looks like this discussion will have to wait..." Returning to the world of reality, Kawakami folded the letter with great care before finishing the last of his tea. "I'm going to call it a night here."

"Is everything okay? Anything we could perhaps help with?"

"While I do appreciate the offer, there will be no need. After all, it's a fairly easy one for once and..." Patting the pocket where the envelope now resided, Kawakami offered the pair a big smile before continuing. "I'm the only one assigned to the job. You know how it is with solo missions right?"

The pair nodded in understanding seeing as they has undertaken similar tasks in the past, where Kawakami had not pried so it was only fair to do the same.

"Having said that however, I could use a hand with something else..."

"Of course commander!"

"Since I will be attending to...other matters, my absence during tomorrow is almost guaranteed. Therefore..."

"We will be sure to handle everything in your steed and provide a detailed report on your return!"

"Thank you!" Suppressing a yawn, Kawakami threw a glance at the clock. "Oh my, time for bed and I suggest you both do the same in light of tomorrow's activities."

Arising from his seat, the grey-haired man was about to leave when Tachibana stopped him.

"Excuse me for bringing it up again...but Kawakami-sama, what do you mean by Satoru possibly surpassing us?"

"Perhaps due to your innate talent, you have forgotten to further enhance your abilities, thus growing dull over time. My advise would be to try and observe Satoru-Kun, perhaps you will learn a thing or two from him."

* * *

"My senses growing dull? Impossible, I was the top graduate in my generation by far."

Over 10 minutes had passed since the conversation transpired, yet his emotions were still as agitated as ever. There was simply no way he could sleep in such a condition, with only one course of action available towards fixing his damaged pride.

Trekking down the long hallway with relatively loud footsteps was a fuming Tachibana, eager to disprove his superior's theory. What could I have seen wrong when there was simply nothing to see at all? Getting to the guest quarters was no difficult task, located fairly close to the cafeteria for convenience.

"Ohhhh lieutenant Tachibana! What brings you here tonight?" Stationed at the entrance was a brown-haired man who looked to be in his 30s. As his task involved accounting any who entered and left, it was by nature a very dull and boring late shift job, hence the reason for various neatly stacked books piled high on the desk.

"Good evening Shizuka. There is quite the interesting individual residing here, whose powers have intrigued not just myself but also commander Kawakami. If possible, I would like to quell this sense of curiosity as an engaging conversation has yet to transpire between us." He had always been good at formulating convincing arguments, and this time was no different especially since it ran parallel to his job as a supervisor.

"Oh wow, I had no idea that such a talented individual existed within this group. Allow me to assist you in locating him sir."

"Thank you, could you run a search for Suzuki Satoru?"

"Right away." Swiveling around to face what looked to be a modern day PC, Shizuku quickly located the person in question via a name check. However, a frown surfaced on his face at the results, throwing Tachibana an uncertain glance.

"The only name popping up is from 1F...perhaps I misspelled the name?"

"No no, he is from 1F." He reassured the confused man with a couple of firm nods. "So where can I find him?"

"E-E-Ermmmm...Suzuki-san hasn't left since arriving, so...I'd assume his bedroom is your best bet."

"Which is?"

"Ahhh, it's at 232."

"Thanks again for your assistance!"

"No problem sir."

Spinning on his heels, the blonde haired lieutenant began heading towards his target, hearing the guard's quiet muttering slowly fade behind him.

"Group 1F...really?"

* * *

"Dammm that was hard...they need to make some sort of lift system or something here..."

To be completely honest, he never would have imagined visiting a recruit's room. Why? Because there was never a reason or need to. Being naturally talented ever since he began, Tachibana had always been leaps and bounds ahead of his colleagues. Even during his initiation exam, the blonde-haired had surprised even the most experienced of officers, earning undisputed praise and recognition from all around.

And that was before he started training.

From that point onward, his career had taken a steep uphill trend, rising through the ranks at a near unparalleled rate. Following a promotion to Lieutenant, Tachibana found himself placed under the commander of Kawakami, a man which he originally held zero respect for. The reason was simple...he had nothing going for him. No famous exploits, no accomplishments, no special titles, a list that contained only cons and no pros. In other words...ordinary if not below average.

"Why am I placed under someone so useless?"

That had been what he thought.

Acting in accordance to this, Tachibana had requested a duel, an action that was unprecedented up till that point. Having taken the liberty of studying his opponent thoroughly over several weeks, he was fairly certain of his victory.

The results however, came as a great shock.

Lasting no longer than 10 seconds, the duel...if you could even call it one, was so ridiculously one-sided that Tachibana had no choice but to admit defeat...for the first time.

Yet oddly enough, the blonde never once regretted the fight, knowing full well he could have done the same should time be reversed.

'Hehhh, it's not that easy to find a role model after all.'

Ever since the incident, Tachibana has followed Kawakami loyally, eventually leading up to now. Although his respect never faltered in the slightest, their opinions on matters often clashed like water and oil, this time being no exception.

"Just why was he taking so much interest in a weakling?" The lieutenant spluttered furiously, shaking his head in annoyance. "I mean he always had a soft spot for those placed in Group F but never quite to this degree."

Tachibana had always been proud of his information gathering, a skill that had allowed him to learn in detail everything there was about Kawakami. Of course, the older man couldn't have made it more easy, his open-book nature often providing answers with a simply inquiry. But there had always been one aspect he had purposefully alluded, using the same excuse over and over.

"It's simply my hobby."

How could taking care of the less gifted possibly be a hobby right? Why should someone with potent abilities be playing babysitter? Why was he so hellbent on nurturing the weak when he could easily earn recognition from the strong?

Not a day went by where such thoughts didn't plague Tachibana's mind, the disturbing confusion never quite growing numb with time.

"What's so special about Suzuki-Kun huh? I don't understand!" Again he repeated...his eyes widening on realization at the cause. "Am I feeling threatened?"

Shaking his head in anguish, Tachibana instead focused on his original goal, somewhat surprised at how far his thoughts had derailed.

Having finally arrived at the room, he gave his watch a quick glance only to find that the dates had just changed. It read 00:00. Poking his ear against the door, not a single sound could be heard likely indicating that it's occupant was asleep.

"Welp...time to see just how talented Suzuki-Kun really is. Surely he would wake up from this amount of murderous intent."

Not even bothering to mask his hostile aura, the blonde muttered a few inaudible words, a small sheathed dagger slowly forming in his right hand.

A familiar voice only he could hear resounded loudly in his mind, offering it's aid even without being beckoned.

'Bugger off, I don't need your help to deal with this kid.'

Knocking gently on the door several times to test it's occupant, Tachibana swiftly yet quietly twisted the handle, entering to find a figure hunched over by his desk.

"Does he not know how to use a bed?"

Fueled by anger and jealousy, Tachibana nimbly raced over before raising his dagger, fully intent on claiming Satoru's life.

"Hehhh, if he dies from an attack of this caliber, no one will be missing him anyway."

But before his blade could begin it's downward arc, a cold sensation of steel etched itself across his neck, effectively stopping him in his tracks.

"I will not warn you again, leave now." A mysterious voice whispered before disappearing as quietly as it came.

Glancing down nervously, the lieutenant realized that whatever threatened to sever his head was now gone, leaving him no proof on whether the ordeal had been fact or fiction. As though acting on queue, a small trickle of liquid began trailing down his neck and onto his attire. His hands had reacted instinctively, gathering a small sample of the unknown substance before raising it to eye level for inspection.

It was blood.

* * *

 **A/N - Thanks a lot for taking the time to read my chapter and I hope to see you all again in the next!**

 **-Lynn**

 **Review response:**

 **L.B.N. -** Hahaha, can't promise there won't be more cliffhangers in the future! Again, thank you so much for your continued support, really helps give me that push to keep posting!

 **Awareness Bringer -** :O really? I personally never read by Halo or ender's game ! Thanks again for taking the time to read and comment on my story!

 **DeathstrokeNorris -** You would be right in saying that it ain't the same as overlord, but I really like Satoru and Narberal. Hahah, perhaps that's why I decided to take the two and throw them both into an AU. It will only continue to stray from the source, and I can understand if you lose interest as result. Still, I appreciate you taking the time to read and comment on my story!

 **B563 -** I'm very glad you enjoy this mixture of genre and plot even if it strays away from the original source heavily hahah! Indeed it does, by throwing them into this AU, it leaves me with a lot of opportunities to generate various plots. Bwahaha, I love cliffhangers! Again, I must thank you for taking the time to read as well as comment on my stories, and hope to see you in the next chapter!


	5. Chapter 5 - Decisions

**Hi there everyone! I'm back with another chapter everyone!**

 **Like always, thanks again for sticking with this story of mine!**

 **Enjoy ^^**

* * *

 **Chapter 5: Decisions...Decisions...Decisions...**

The gentle morning rays of sunlight shone through the windows, waking the onyx haired boy from his slumber. Rubbing his eyes of sleep, Satoru gingerly surveyed the unfamiliar room he was in. Hanging chandelier lights, nicely furnished walls decorated with various landscape paintings, generously packed bookcase with a large desk sitting in the far corner. All in all, it was everything but average.

"Where am I?"

Still functioning in a groggy state, the young boy tried to operate as though it was any other day, his body far too used to the usual routine. Had it not been for one particular item, he might have very well spent the entire morning preparing for work.

One opened envelope containing a mysterious piece of magic paper lay neatly on his perfectly furnished desk, the sight of which acted as a mental catalyst, stirring a chain of recollections in it's wake.

Recalling the events from last night, the boy immediately shot up and sorted through his memory. 'I was attending some sort of Yggdrasil beta test event when this all began...so it wasn't all a dream huh?'

Shifting towards the bedside, Satoru's feet instinctively glided around the floor blindly in search for his shoes. Yet when he finally made contact, an unnatural thought rose in his mind.

'Hmmm...since when did I get a new pair of sock?'

Satoru peered down only to confirm that there was indeed a pair that looked to be brand new judging from the untarnished color.

"Strange...I don't really remember hopping into bed to begin with."

However a single glance at the neatly tucked in desk chair suppressed any arising suspicion, the boy deciding it was ultimately not worth dedicating mental leeway towards. Additionally with the upcoming morning session regarding their decision also entailed the task of finding said location. Needless to say, in such a big castle, doing so wasn't exactly a walk in the park. Thankfully he was currently wide awake since Satoru's job normally commenced at fairly early hours, thus giving him the freedom to plan ahead.

'Now then...'

The next half an hour went by rather uneventfully with Suzuki doing what every other normal human being did before going out...to look presentable. However, the job took a lot longer than anticipated, spending more time in the bathroom today than he normally did in an entire week.

'Seriously...how in the world did they even manage to find that many types of toothpastes to begin with?'

In the end, he managed to arrive at a conclusion.

When you present an indecisive individual with a myriad of choices, both will combine to form an ultimate recipe for disaster. A revelation that Satoru pondered whilst still frowning in disgust.

'Ok mixing and using them all in one brush was definitely a bad idea...'

Despite the nauseating mouth odor, his stomach ultimately had other ideas, roaring loudly in it's quest for sustenance. Having downed an extremely meager meal last night, it wasn't surprising for hunger to begin setting in.

'Told you to get supper last night! Now we pissed off the stomach department!' An inner Satoru voice in his head roared out loud.

'You issued no such order Mr Know-It-All!' Another replied while flipping through a stack of papers. 'In fact, you were sleeping through it all!'

'W-W-Well I was tired, besides you are me, you should know when I'm hungry!'

'Not when I'm sleeping!'

'You were sleeping too?'

'I'm you too, if you sleep...I sleep too!'

'Urghhh if only we slipped a packet of chips into our pockets before diving into Yggdrasil.'

'Didn't someone suggest that already?'

One proud looking inner Satoru responded with a goofy smile, pointing at himself repeatedly in hopes for an applause.

Shaking his head, the real Satoru rid his thoughts before rubbing his stomach. If there was one thing that his imaginary inner council did, it was stating a obvious fact that he himself couldn't deny. In any case, acquiring food was his number 1 priority at the moment for lunch was still quite a way off.

'Time to look for the cafeteria...I really hope breakfast is free of charge...'

Jiggling his small sum of pocket change loudly, the young boy sighed as he turned to the door...when a couple of knocks beat him to it.

Honestly, he had no clue as to who would visit at this hour. Of course, there was always the option to feign being asleep. At the same time though, this could be important. Adding his curiosity into the mix and Satoru found himself responding almost naturally.

"Good morning, who might this be?"

"Forgive my abrupt visit Suzuki-Kun, did I perhaps come at a bad time?"

"Not at all." The voice was familiar yet he couldn't quite put a name to it, maybe because of the tone. As unlikely as it was, Satoru couldn't deny the relief that had surfaced, knowing that his angry boss hadn't somehow chased him to another world just to scold him for being late. Speaking of work...what was going to happen when he got back...?

Brushing it off as another matter entirely, the boy swiftly opened the door, discovering the culprit as...

"Commander Kawakami?!"

"Whaooo...I come in peace! No need to wake all the neighbors for help haha."

Immediately covering his mouth in embarrassment, Satoru paused for a while before asking what came to mind first.

"Sorry about that. But errr...what brings you here today sir?" He asked before a dark notion dawned on him. "Don't tell me there was a change of plans and I completely missed the event!"

"No no no hahaha, in fact, judging from your attire, I would say you are far more prepared than the majority. After all, it's no surprise that most turn up late..."

"Agreed, it is slightly bigger than your average human household."

"Only just slightly though."

The two erupted into a fit of comfortable laughter, something that raised a thought or two in the boy. Not to say that the commander wasn't already yesterday, but no matter how you looked at it, the older man was currently way more laid-back and carefree in comparison. So much so that the young boy almost mistook himself as conversing with a very close acquaintance, an odd sensation considering that they had only just met yesterday. In other words, for whatever reason...something felt different. Of course, it was nothing worth complaining about.

Just food for thought if you will.

"In favor of returning to my original point, perhaps we could continue our discussion while seated? that is if it ain't a bother."

Mentally face-palming for not having offered so himself, the boy hurriedly spoke in as calm a tone as he could muster. "But of course Sir!"

Leading the commander inside, Satoru quickly offered a chair to which he accepted.

"So Suzuki-Kun, have you decided?" Kawakami decided to cut right to the chase.

"..." As much as he would like to, Satoru was unable and unwilling to give a definite answer because anything he said now would carry no weight. To say that he didn't contemplate the topic at all would be an indisputable lie. After all, he had dedicated a vast majority doing exactly that. Unfortunately the results didn't accurately portray his efforts. "I don't know sir..."

"What do you think is the logical choice then?" Not a hint of surprise was written on the older man's face, Satoru guessing that his response was nothing unheard of.

"Honestly, I think taking the money and bailing out is the logical choice. I mean no offence, but this whole...business seems rather shady to me. Having never been exposed to magic up till now, my mind can't help but comprehend it that way, writing everything off as mere trickery. Also..."

"Also?"

Several images of his lifestyle these past 3 years briefly flashed through his mind, curving his lips into a small sad smile.

"The whole Yggdrasil dive system...has it ever made an error in the past?"

"I'm afraid I don't quite follow."

"Has it ever selected someone who lacks this 'potential' you speak by mistake, sir?"

As though understanding his trail of thoughts, Kawakami proceeded to offer a reassuring response. "Never before and never will it. Why do you ask?"

"Because your description of these special magicians and my knowledge of myself simply don't align. If anything, I'm someone who ranks below the average line, many kids my age now well and truly ahead of me in life."

"From what I can tell, you seem to leaning heavily towards one side already. Yet your response earlier suggests otherwise, why is that?" Realizing the talk was slowly derailing, Kawakami decided to take another approach.

"Well...because..."

Every time the subject was pondered, the boy found himself being thrown into an endless spiral of emotions...ones that seem to counter his logical side. Every time the scales tipped in favor of leaving, something prevented it, balancing it out without fail. Yet whenever he tried to put it into words, not a single letter formed in his mind. Sensation that defied ordinary reasoning, one he could only label as...

Feelings of...attachment...Yes!"

Somehow...he knew that if he ignored these baseless gut instincts, an immeasurable level of regret would befall on him.

"Because...there is somethings I need to find here..."

"Somethings you need to find?" The grey haired questioned with curiosity.

Having yet to think it through clearly himself, Satoru continued staring at the ceiling as if searching for an answer. Again, there was no plausible reason why besides the fact that it simply feels right. Now that he was aware of it, Satoru knew he would be unable to resist the urge of whatever was calling for him here, his mind now tunnel visioned on locating the sources.

"Mhmm hmm."

"Like an object?"

"Hmmm maybe, it sounds really weird but I feel oddly attached to some things in here..."

"You mean it's more than one thing?"

"Yes."

"Are they really that important?"

"To...the point where I don't want to leave without them..."

"Alright, my advice would be to pick the one that you want."

"One that I want?"

"Of course, having heard your take on both sides of the story, I would say you have reasons for both choices. In that particular case, the best option would be the one that results in less regret."

"Less regret..."

"Look, I'm not here to convince you to take either side, but to make you aware of what each entails. From the common perspective, returning to Earth would be the sensible choice because not only do you get to carry on with your ordinary routine, but with a substantial sum to boot. Let's be real, there really is no downside to that especially for those that have too much to lose back at home."

"So then why do some people opt to stay? It simply does not make any sense."

"Usually those that choose to do so are either the ones with an extreme amount of potential and therefore wish to develop their talents or...Individuals that wish for a drastic change. In other words, people that possess a strong desire to walk a different path in life. However, anyone who falls into the latter category should have a very very solid reason behind their decision, one they can rely on should times get hard."

"Hmmm..." All of this was simply vague in the boy's mind as though he was trying to place himself in the shoes of a fantasy character at the start of a game. To be fair, the concept of magic being real had only just occurred to him yesterday, and even then, Satoru wasn't entirely willing to believe it truly existed.

"One thing is for certain though, this is something you and you alone will have to decide. Don't let the thoughts of others deter you, think alone and act alone if only just this once. But don't forget this one crucial fact..."

A slight pause was enough to cause the boy to redirect his gaze from the floor to the commander's eyes.

"If you choose to go back, there will be no more opportunities to return here in the future."

* * *

 **A/N - Thanks a lot for taking the time to read this! I know it was quite a short chapter, but I really wanted to upload something simply because I was really starting to fall behind on my uploading schedule haha.**

 **Anyways, enough of my rambling. Hope to see you all in the next one!**

 **-Lynn**


	6. Chapter 6 - Feelings of Attachment

**Hello everyone! Long time no see, hope you have all been doing well!**

 **Thank you in advance for taking the time to read through my story!**

 **Without further ado, lets get right into it!**

* * *

 **Chapter 6 - Feelings of Attachment**

"If you choose to go back, there will be no more opportunities to return here in the future."

An image of his current daily routine flashed before his eyes at the older man's words. With the promised sum of money, there was no need for Satoru to work again…that meant no more school needed…no more students talking behind his back…no more scolding from his teacher…freedom….

Instead, he could…he could…stay at home for the rest of his life and play games. Thanks to the nutritionally balanced bento boxes that the local convenience store offered, food was not a problem. Heck, he could even go further by ordering expensive meals from restaurants should such a craving arise. Sure, Yggdrasil was now over…but he could always bury himself in something new right? He only needed to repeat the same process and find new guildies!

"I could literally do whatever I wanted!"

Such a future was certainly one desired by many; a simple survey of the current workforce would more than likely back up this statement. However for Satoru, it was not a prospect he was really thrilled about. For starters gaming had never been a passion of his, rather an obsession built on the fundamental notion of escaping reality. Don't get him wrong, there was no denying the fun, his hours online was more than proof of this. Yet it didn't take more than a day's reflection for him to realize that it wasn't something that he could dedicate his life to…not alone anyway. In other words, the real reason behind his immense playtime was due to the relationships he formed within. To put all of this into simpler terms, Satoru had always wanted to be an active part of society, to possess an identity and to fit in where he belonged. But his personality coupled with his circumstances made it doubly difficult ever since his mother's passing, now too far out of the loop to rejoin.

Now he was offered a choice, a chance to start afresh even if it involved setting foot into uncharted territory.

"Are there any risks in choosing to stay?"

"Definitely more than the average human would encounter in their lifetime…possibly even all in one day here." The commander was frank because there was simply no point sugar coating anything. He was a member of the army, not a salesman. "You need to understand that people here have…very special gifts that can alter the very fabric of reality. Many of these powers are created and nurtured for combat and not mere party tricks, which means simply saying yes to our program literally puts your life on the line. Needless to say, there are individuals that are more suited to other aspects of the community that doesn't involve a weapon in hand."

But this growing feeling…

"Rewinding to an earlier topic, about that weird feeling of attachment I've been getting…is it normal?"

"Hmmmm…how would you describe the feeling exactly? Could you possibly give me a clearer picture?"

"As strange as it sounds, I feel as though there is a part of me here somewhere. I just can't help but shake the feeling that there's something I need to find no matter what."

"Ever get that feeling like someone is always by your side but just out of reach?"

"Exactly, and it makes me oddly comfortable and reassuring in a way I haven't experienced before. Maybe that's why I want to find the source even if that means dropping everything back at home."

"I knew it…." The older man responded in a voice that was inaudible to the boy.

"So…erm do you perhaps have an inkling of what it might be that I'm going through?" Returning to the original topic at hand, Satoru turned to the older man with a hint of hope in his eyes.

"Well…"Kawakami scratched his unshaven chin in contemplation, as though asked an extremely difficult question. Then with a wide grin, he answered with a vague answer yet conveyed in a firm tone. "I have some notion yes but the full explanation would eat way too much time though. Besides it is something that you should discover for yourself. Depending on what exactly the feeling is, it could even be the very reason as to why you are here."

"What about…" Satoru began before a loud rumble erupted from his stomach, causing the poor boy to clear his throat loudly.

"Hahaha, yes we should get you some food!" The commander let out a hearty laugh.

With impeccable timing, several firm knocks echoed from the door, shocking only the young boy whilst the older man replied completely unfazed. "Please come in!"

"Pardon my intrusion." A clear feminine voice could be heard from the other side before opening to reveal an individual who Satoru was not familiar with. Boasting long wavy black hair flowing freely down to her waist, pale yet healthy looking skin, a perfect hourglass figure and an elegant face that would put even the prettiest models to shame, Satoru found himself at a loss for words.

'Does she like…work here? Or is she some model?'

It wasn't until she spoke again did he realize his lack of response.

"Suzuki-kun?"

"Ahhhhhh hahaha, errrr…..wonderful weather today huh!" Mentally cursing his behavior, Satoru casually made an excuse before tearing his gaze away in hopes of salvaging whatever positive impression he may have left.

"It is indeed." Naturally she saw through the obvious topic-changer but rather than letting the awkwardness continue, she instead wore a genuinely warm smile. After all, she had been the one to request this job in the first place, and getting to see the boy was more than enough of a reward. "You must be famished by now no?"

Placing the large tray down gently in front of Satoru, the beautiful girl lifted the cover off each and every plate to reveal dishes of various kinds. His eyes must have glittered at the assortment for a laugh was elicited from the other 2 present. Needless to say, it had been a long time since he had gotten such a diverse breakfast menu, usually resorting to cup noodles at home.

"Please, help yourself as the appointed time is quickly approaching."

"Have you two already eaten though?" Despite his eagerness to dive straight into the meal, the boy would feel bad if they watched on an empty stomach. If anything, he was more than happy to share especially considering this wasn't his to begin with.

"No need to concern yourself, we have already partaken in out breakfast prior Suzuki-Kun." The commander responded.

"Itadakimasu!"

"Phew that was so good!"

Not going to lie, that was easily the best meal he had had in the past 3 years, nothing even coming close to the level of quality or quantity for that matter. While the exact cuisine eluded him, perhaps because it was native to this place and therefore didn't exist on Earth, but the taste definitely rivaled if not exceeded the looks. Naturally, the presentation was nothing short of immaculate; Satoru even going as far as thinking it was a waste to eat such a work of art. The quantity was also spot-on, having enough to satisfy his craving whilst all combining to an amount that didn't make him overly full. All in all, there was nothing to fault; everything was simply to his liking.

"Man, I underestimated the food they provide at the cafeteria, never would have thought the cooks were on this level." The boy praised as he rubbed his now filled belly, failing to notice the pair's exchanged glance.

"Actually….OOF!" Kawakami began when a wave of pain flowed through his left leg. "What…?"

"Oops sorry Kawakami-sama, it would appear I slipped accidentally. Anyway, I'm sure the cook will be pleased to hear your compliment Suzuki-Kun." The girl reassured him.

"Still, I really appreciate you going to all that trouble just to bring me a meal. Thank you…..errr miss?" Satoru trailed off, only just realizing he had yet to catch her name despite the latter knowing his.

"Well she is…OOF!" Again, the grey-haired was interrupted mid-sentence, this time rubbing his fresh wound in hopes of alleviating some pain.

"My name is Alice, forgive me for not introducing myself earlier." She apologized curtly and lowered her head.

"No need, no need!" Flustered at the sight of someone bowing to him, the boy frantically blurted out, extending his hand to convey his gratitude. "In any case, pleasure to meet you Alice and thank you again."

"Likewise Suzuki-Kun." Accepting the gesture, the girl beamed in kind.

Satoru's eyes widened as their hands came into contact, but the expression was quick in hiding itself.

"Although…" Satoru shifted uncomfortably on the spot, his eyes darting around to look at anything but the pair in front. "What's with the special treatment?"

"Kawakami-sama didn't tell you yet?"

"Tell me what?"

Having finally recovered from his previous injuries, the older man lifted his head to dissolve the growing confusion.

"Alice is errrr….my personal assistant which is why I requested her presence today."

"To bring breakfast?" Shooting the girl a sympathetic look, the boy couldn't imagine what other minor tasks the commander must have issued her.

"On the contrary, that was something she volunteered to do."

"Really?"

"Mhmm hmm."

"Anyway, the real reason why she's here today is to watch over you in my steed." The older man heaved an exhausted sigh before continuing his monologue. "Unfortunately along with the title of a commander also entails an abundance of chores…I mean missions, most of which are mandatory yet mundane in nature. Additionally, they are to be completely upon notification which leads us to our current predicament. As much as I'd like to help you progress and come to terms with your choice, such a task is proving out to be impossible considering the number of jobs I've been given. For that reason, I've enlisted Alice's help in order to provide you with the appropriate supervision, which will invaluable during the several days to come."

"…" Silence filled the room with the commander quickly breaking the ice.

"That is, of course, if you choose to stay Suzuki-kun."

"I errrr…."

"Don't worry we understand how difficult it must be. Regardless, Alice will tend to your needs regardless if that means to see you off home or to offer advice during your stay."

"If I accepted hypothetically, why do you make it sound like I will be fighting like tomorrow haha." Satoru laughed casually, waving off the gathering tension.

"Actually…if you decided to join us…fighting will indeed be involved…and not tomorrow but tonight." You could tell from Kawakami's hesitant tone that he didn't want to burst the boy's bubble. But now was not the time to mask the truth.

"You mean…actually physical combat?"

"Together with magical combat yes, although not amongst yourselves so you can at least rejoice in that fact."

"Hmmmm…." Acting tough now wasn't going to do him any good, therefore it was best to be as transparent as possible. "I've never actually done training of any kind before…not even sports so to be suddenly thrown into such a circumstance is troubling to say the least."

"Fair point but not worth fretting over because only a select few in the entire bunch have such experience. For the most part, fresh recruits don't, yet most have performed quite well. Besides…"

"You have me as well!" Alice gave the boy a wink and thumbs up, finishing off the commander's sentence for him.

"Isn't Alice supposed to be your personal assistant though? Doesn't that equate to helping you on your missions too?"

"Normally yes, but my next few missions are more tedious than anything, nothing I can't handle easily on my own. Besides even if I wanted her to help me on my adventures, she would just say stuff like…OW! OWW!"

"Kawakami-sama, I would like to aid Suzuki-Kun for the next week, surely you wouldn't mind right?"

"O-O-Of course not, please do as you wish!"

30 minutes had barely passed and the commander already received his third injury, a number that seemed like it would elevate indefinitely if given the opportunity. Judging by their interactions however, such a routine didn't seem out of the ordinary and much more an everyday occurrence. At this point, Satoru was almost tempted to ask whether or not personal assistant meant being the boss in this world. Maybe commanders worked for their personal assistants here? Then again, considering the number of recruits originating from Earth, why go out of their way to confuse the heck out of everyone?

'Nah surely not, these two just have good chemistry is all.' Letting out a small smile, Satoru couldn't help but stare at the pair with jealous eyes. 'If only I had someone close too.'

"Now that the introductions are all done and dusted, I recall you have some important matters to attend to no?"

"Ouch! Yes I do!"

"Well then Kawakami-sama, seeing as both of you are expected somewhere soon and that Susuzki-Kun's destination is along the way, would you be so kind as to escort him or shall I?" It's one thing to possess a smile sweet enough to melt the hearts of all those that set their sight upon it, and another to exude an aura strong enough to cause the bravest of men to tremble in fear, but to accomplish both simultaneously was something that only Alice could pull off.

"No, I got this! I would hate to bother you while you're on duty after all!" Successfully catching the drift, a rather flustered commander responded before spinning around to face Satoru. "Well then, shall we?"

'If you're not going to request assistance from your own personal assistant during her duty, then when the heck will you….?' Was the single question that tangled so dangerously on the tip of his tongue but ultimately decided against it.

"Sure thanks for going out of your way to do so!" The young boy expressed with genuine gratitude, fully relieved that he wouldn't have to trek into uncharted territory alone. "See you around Alice!"

"Bye bye Susuzki-Kun!" The beautiful girl responded with a bow.

"I'll miss you during my missions Alice-chan!" Following in suit, a grey-haired man offered his own farewell.

"Hehe…" A familiar menacing aura so thick it could practically endure the slash of a chainsaw once again flooded the room, drawing more than a chill to the person in focus. "My my Kawakami-sama, my hearing must be growing bad with age. Care to repeat what you just called me?"

"Nothing! I just said t-to enjoy yourself is all." Leaning to whisper directly into Satoru's ear, the commander frantically conveyed a concise and clear message.

"Suzuki-Kun, let's run!"

"Roger that!"

And just like that, the two scrambled out into the hallway, sprinting away like a pair of prisoners that had made a miraculous escape.

Left alone in the room, Alice's gaze, remained transfixed at the door, the exact position they had been before leaving. It wasn't until their footsteps completely left earshot was she able to tear her eyes away, spinning around to change her visual trajectory out the crystal clear window instead. She was…exhausted, but not physically.

Was this really the right decision?

But no answer came, it never did. Frowning ever so slightly, the girl soon found herself lamenting the exact same things, a dilemma that thrived whenever she had a moment to herself. Thankfully an attention catching sound broke her chain of thoughts.

The sound of a door creaking slowly open behind her to be exact.

"He really liked your cooking you know?" Slowly turning around to face the expected guest, Alice continued hoping that her words would finally reach the ears of her longtime acquaintance. "I know you blame yourself for what happened, but choosing to keep your distance isn't a decision you should make alone especially considering the remaining time."

But she received nothing but a bitter glare in return.

"Besides, he deserves to know the truth about you and **her**."

* * *

 **A/N - First off, I would like to sincerely apologize for my lack of upload over the past months. To be blunt, several incidents recently occurred that made me lose interest and motivation in doing anything, causing me to take a while to recover mentally.** **Again I am terribly sorry about my absence but I am eager to jump back into the routine.**

 **This story has and always will mean a lot to me due to a number of personal reasons so I will be continuing it regardless of what happens from now on (something I contemplated very seriously during my break), and I hope you all will stick with me for the ride!**

 **Thanks again for taking the time to read my story, I truly appreciate each and everyone of you ! If you have any thoughts or questions to share or ask, feel free to leave a review!**

 **Take care everyone! Hope you all have a wonderful day ^^**

 **-Lynn**


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